City man shot to death at home

July 28, 2013

PAWTUCKET â€“ Police are investigating the murder of a 41-year-old Dawson St. man at his home early Sunday morning. Two men were reported to have been seen fleeing the home after the reported shooting but remained at large Sunday night, according to police.

The incident occurred at 112 Dawson St. in a quiet neighborhood of single family home just off busy Newport Avenue and near the Pawtucket-South Attleboro line. Neighbors on Dawson Street were left shocked by the incident and said Sunday that they had heard the man was shot during a break or home invasion incident that follows another home invasion incident at the residence in May.

The 41-year-old victim of the shooting was reported to be the same man, Jeffrey LeBrun, 41, attacked during the May home invasion at 112 Dawson St., according to media reports.

Major Arthur Martins said the investigation of the manâ€™s death was continuing Sunday night and indicated additional details on the victim would be released today.

The victim was reported to live at 112 Dawson with his wife, who was not home at the time of the shooting, and at least one child. Neighbors reported the manâ€™s child had been found at the residence hiding in a closet after the incident.

â€śI was sleeping but my wife said she heard four shots and two later,â€ť a man found working on his yard at Dawson Street said Sunday.

â€śWe heard that all around 2 a.m.,â€ť the man, who declined to identify himself, said of the incident.

Police received a call about shots fired or fireworks at 112 Dawson St. at 1:45 a.m. and upon their arrival at the location discovered the 41-year-old man had been shot at least twice, Martins said.

Fire and rescue personnel also responded to the report but determined the man to be deceased at the scene, Martins said.

The descriptions of the men seen fleeing the home were vague and police were still seeking leads on them Sunday evening, according to Martins.

Martins would not confirm the report about the child in the home or provide additional details on the manâ€™s family Sunday. â€śWe are not releasing anything of that nature at this point,â€ť Martins said. â€śWe arenâ€™t saying anything other than that a homicide did occur,â€ť he said.

The forensic evidence gathered by police investigators should help the department piece together what occurred at the residence early Sunday, Martins added.

Residents of Dawson Street and others living nearby provided a few additional details when found outside their homes Sunday. No one living near 112 Dawson wanted to give their names and some expressed dismay that their otherwise peaceful neighborhood was gaining attention as the scene of a murder.

â€śI have nothing to say about it, itâ€™s life,â€ť a young man said while voicing his objections to the intrusion of media in the area. An older man, however, offered what he had heard about the incident. â€śI guess two guys broke in and they shot and killed him,â€ť he said.

Further down the street, a man coming out into his front yard to quiet his dog said the murder follows the earlier home invasion back in May.

â€śI woke up this morning and the police had blocked off the street,â€ť he said. â€śI asked one police officer about it and he all he could tell me was that it was a crime scene,â€ť the man said.

During the May home invasion at 112 Dawson St., Jeffrey LeBrun, 41, was reported to have fought off two intruders entering his home, according to police. Police reported one the attackers had attempted to strangle the man from behind while a second man armed with a knife confronted him. The victim was reported to have suffered cuts to his hands while struggling with the home invaders. LeBrunâ€™s assailants were reported to have fled the home as his wife came downstairs, according to police.

Over on Wendall Street Sunday, two long time residents of the neighborhood said they have never had anything like Sunday morningâ€™s events occur in the area while they have been living there. The popular Newport Avenue restaurant, Mama Spumoniâ€™s, can be seen at the end of the street and not much happens in the residential area bordering the main road, they said.

The most noticeable disturbance since the family moved into 112 Dawson St. a short time ago was an occasional round of fireworks from the property, they said.

â€śWell, itâ€™s pretty scary, I have two little kids,â€ť one woman, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, said. Most frightening to her of all was the report of the child hiding in the closet at the victimâ€™s home, she said.

The neighborhood was abuzz with police and other investigators when the neighbors woke up and many watched the news to hear about what had happened next door, a woman said. A man moving in just a couple of years ago said he never thought something like a murder would occur in the quiet residential neighborhood. â€śIt surprised me and it concerns me,â€ť the man said while relating how he likes to walk in the area with his dog.

Martins said anyone with information on the manâ€™s murder can contact the Pawtucket Police detectives working the case by calling 401-727-9100.